SOCIETY

AzerTAg.az

According to the timesnownews.com website, the first gene therapy called 'Luxturna', a medication against hereditary degeneration of the retina that can lead to total blindness, will now be available in the US for a price of $850,000 for the one-time treatment -- or more specifically, $425,000 per eye -- making it one of the world`s most expensive medicines ever marketed.

It is the first gene therapy to be approved for use in the US and was given the go-ahead by the Federal Drug Administration in mid-December, 2017.

The novel gene therapy, which consists of repairing a defective gene, will retail for $425,000 per eye, which is less than the $1 million price tag that had been expected before the company received FDA approval.

There are currently about 1,000 cases of people who suffer from hereditary degeneration of the retina, and 10 to 20 new cases are expected to be added each year.

Besides Luxturna, several other medications are near the million-dollar price mark, although they are often administered in several doses.